The country's future should lie in the hands of all its people, rather than those of the military or a small elite, she said.

CNN: STORY HIGHLIGHTS

According to the 2013 State of Women-Owned Business Report commissioned annually by American Express OPEN, the jobs lie in the hands of women.

FORBES: Women Entrepreneurs Are Leading Job Growth As Unemployment Stagnates

"Responsibility for our country must now lie in the hands of a new generation, " Beatrix, one of Europe's longest-serving monarchs, said in the simple, televised speech announcing her abdication.

NPR: Dutch Queen Beatrix Abdicating, Son Will Be King

The above is a technical explanation why the future of Greece in the euro may not lie in the hands of the electorate as voters: it lies in the hands of the electorate as bank customers.

BBC: Watch deposit flight, not the eurocrats

But while officials wring their hands over what may lie in store for Towa and the rest of Japan, some of the town's people wonder what all the fuss is about.

CNN: WHERE IT'S GOOD TO BE OLD

Whilst complaining about the secretary of state may provide an easy headline, the parties know any lasting solution will lie in local hands.

BBC: Parades Commission not going anywhere